Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Jan Hus, Reformer - Heretical Views Sound Modern

Here is Jan Hus, a statue in an unlikely place: Terezin, or Theresienstadt -- the Nazi-created ghetto / concentration camp-that was staged for purposes of Red Cross inspections as an ideal settlement place for Jews. In reality, it was a holding pen, a way station to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Jan Hus: a more famous statue is in Prague Square, see ://www.prague.cz/jan-hus-monument/ but it was being renovated and under nets and tarps when we were there. The pose in Prague is different, see ://pragueee.blogspot.com/2009/05/statue-of-jan-hus-1372-1415-prague.html/

Jan Hus: Why here? Unanswered. Is it the theme of martyrdom, persecution? See photos of Terezin at ://www.scrapbookpages.com/CzechRepublic/Theresienstadt/TheresienstadtGhetto/GhettoTour/Tour02.html

Jan Hus: What did he do to deserve the designation of heretic, and burn, as he did. See The Hussites at http://www2.kenyon.edu/projects/margin/hussites.htm/

He and his followers saw themselves as Christian, and devout. Their disagreement was not with the theology of the Church, but with its implementation of authority. His thought preceded the reform movement of Martin Luther. Some of his followers fled to Germany and Poland.

Hus favored these things:

1. People should be able to read the Bible in their own language; people are well able to interpret scripture for themselves; this same issue was fought and lost in Croatia, at Nin, by Bishop Gregory, Gregor of Nin, in the 10th Century. See Croatia Road Ways, Nin